Pokemon has been around for a quarter of a century now.  The games are formulaic at this point, which makes them easy to pick up for new fans, but also comforting for older fans.  However, you still want to add things to show why gamers should purchase the latest installment.  Nintendo is not afraid to take risks with its properties.  Some of their new mechanics are…interesting.  HA! But others are da’ bomb! =D  These are my 12 favorites to finish off Pokemon Month for 2023, my third for GeekyKool! ^_^

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Top 12 Favorite Features in Pokémon Games:

• Pokémon following you- Everyone loves this feature! Like, when it dropped in Heart Gold and Soul Silver, the community went nuts! We were SO grateful that ten years later in the Let’s Go games and is a staple now.  ^_^ Seeing the size ratio difference is a riot too in the earlier ones, but who doesn’t want their companion by their side?

• Radio- Jamming to the radio in the PokeGear (which is also an epic tool in the games in itself) in Pokemon Gold, Silver, Crystal, and the remakes really got me pumped and gave me a chance to select the music I wanted to, especially if I was stuck in the same area for a long while, lol!

• Secret Bases- I put SO MUCH TIME into making my bases in the original Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald (gen 3!)  I recall my location so vividly and inviting friends with the link cable.  Ah! Good ole’ days! Finding the perfect space and expressing myself with Poke-fan in-game merch was a blast, a treasured experience.  🙂 The ones in the remarks (Alpha and Omega) were good too.  I was not a huge fan of the mechanic for generation 4, but Shining Pearl and Brilliant Diamond updates were interesting.

• Pokémon Pelago- With Sun and Moon set in the tropics, a Palico is almost a must.  Planting berry trees on my own little island so my in-box Pokemon would feel my love was such a sweet idea.  Then having random wild Pokemon visit and some stay for me to catch was a fun way to get new Poke pals.  Then I got to expand my island and add spas, berry grooves, and more.  It was a little paradise that had me checking on my game each day.

• Pokémon Riding- Riding Pokemon?! What else can I say?!  So fun and entertaining! WEEE! =D

• Making Pokeball out of acorns- Having Kurt, the Pokeball expert, make unique at the time Pokeballs for you out of certain acorns you collect was a neat side quest I enjoyed in Silver and Gold. ^_^

• Making Poke blocks- I became a PRO making these at the Pokemon Centers/Contest Centers in gen 3’s Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald.  There are random NPCs around tumblers.  You throw berries in it to make blocks that are supposed to help with the five different stats for the newly introduced Poke Contests.  You had to try to mash the button in time with the increasing in tempo speed of the wheel when it would come to your side.  It reminds me of the flashing lights arcade game that spins and if you hit the button on the arch, you won the most tickets.  This was just a fantastic incentive for me to care about berries or contests!

• Making own mall- Black 2 and White 2 introduced a feature where I could invite different sellers and stands into one place that I was in charge of.  It was called Join Avenue.  So, I basically got to run my own mall! I had a bunch of stores! Not only can I purchase items, but I can invite trainer NPCs in the game to visit and they will shop and I can make a profit! It was a random add-on that does not get much love, but man! It was a blast!

• Wonder Trade- Catching tons of Pokemon for your Pokedex, but do not think you will use them?  X/Y brought in wonder trading with its 3-D models.  You can trade with anyone world wide with an Internet connection.  Select any Pokemon you are willing to send to a new home.  The program will conenct you and you can get a special new companion or at least a foreign one (which means it will level up faster.)  It is a 50/50 mix on how good your trade will be, but that is part of the fun, like when you open packs of Pokemon cards! I am glad this component has stayed and improved for four generations now.

• Variant Region Forms-  Megas and region forms have been a fun way to give new power-ups, typings, and designs to some of our favorite ‘mons since Pokemon X/Y.  Not all are beauties, lol, but it is neat to see the twists the Pokemon CO will come up with.
• Pokémon abilities- Not all of these are great, but another component of your captured pals that can make them more marketable or exciting.  Having a Pokemon with a good ability is like an extra free move.  It was added to the card game too.
• Day and night/seasons- A simple, but genius idea that came in Silver, Gold, and Crystal, adding days and nights allowed the variety of Pokemon able to be found engaging and make sense to add to the core of the world.  Going to the bug park at night was great! Then Black and White (gen 5) added seasons (a new season for every month of playing) and man! Seeing the region transform transfixes you, immerses you in the universe more, and is magical.  Especially adding Pokemon that change designs with the seasons.

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  Get captured by the fun of the Pokemon World, trainers! Stay geeky! 🙂

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  Educator of young minds by day, super nerdy savior of justice, and cute things by night, Morgan Straughan Comnick has a love for turning the normal into something special without losing its essence. Morgan draws from real-life experiences and her ongoing imagination to spark her writing. In her spare time, she enjoys doing goofy voices, traveling to new worlds by turning pages, humming child-like songs, and forcing people to smile with her “bubbliness.” It is Morgan’s mission in life to spread the amazement of otaku/Japanese culture to the world and to stop bullying; she knows everyone shines brightly.

  For more information about Morgan and her works, check out her website, which also has links to all her social medias: http://morganscomnick.com